Gentiloni’s soft debut at EU summit risks a hard landing

Even for seasoned politicians, EU summits can be a hurdle race, with their diplomatic knots, jam-packed agendas and scarcity of time.

For Paolo Gentiloni, who has served as Italy's prime minister for less than a week, that was doubly true on Thursday.

A former foreign minister with a long political career and a soft-spoken approach, Gentiloni didn't clear a key hurdle at the Brussels summit. The 62-year-old Roman aristocrat, who replaced Matteo Renzi after he lost a key constitutional referendum and resigned, was forced by Germany to accept a timetable on migration that was not what Italy wanted.

The Council conclusion, the legally binding text approved at the end of any summit, state that “the Council is invited to continue the process with the aim of achieving consensus on the EU's asylum reform during the incoming” Malta presidency.

In other words: The EU aims to reach a consensus on an asylum reform in only six months.

The Italians, who this year expect to receive a record 200,000 migrants and refugees, fear that, during a period of political uncertainty in Italy, such a short time will not give Rome enough time to build the right alliances to achieve a favorable result.

“The discussion still requires a lot of time,” said one Italian diplomat Wednesday, stressing that Rome was trying to resist Berlin's attempts to shorten the discussion.

The sticky issue is a proposal by Slovakia (which holds the rotating presidency) that countries that don't want to take in refugees can be offered financial and logistical alternatives.

EU leaders still have to decide whether it will be mandatory to take in at least some refugees – something favored by the Italians and Greeks who fear that they will otherwise get stuck with all the arrivals. Meanwhile, Central European countries such as Poland and Hungary only want voluntary schemes.

The second problem is that “to reach a consensus” means a need for unanimity, a point pushed by Berlin, wanting to avoid further divisions on a sensitive subject. Italians, however, had hoped for a voting system that would allow for a qualified majority.

Gentiloni tried to put a good face on the outcome “The wording is absolutely fine,” he told reporters at the summit, adding there was a long discussion on the meaning of “we aim at,” saying it meant it was “not a deadline.”

Yet with Berlin putting strong pressure on completion of a deal in time for the German election in September, and the prospect of elections in Italy as early as June, this was not an ideal solution for Italian diplomats.

Still, in his first high-level meeting, Gentiloni made clear that bickering with Germany could come to an end. During the referendum campaign, Renzi was seen to pick fights with the EU for homecourt advantage. Though Renzi picked Gentiloni to succeed him, Gentiloni clearly wanted to signal that he is his own man. While there are differences on the economy, he said, “I have never shared the idea that Germany must be an adversary.”

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Ronald Grünebaum

Obviously, distribution of refugees or migrants is nonsensical. They cannot be forced to stay in Poland or Finland when borders are open.

What is needed is strict border control, not picking Africans up just outside the Libyan 12 mile zone. What is needed are common asylum rules which are then strictly enforced. On both points Italy could show a better performance before making demands.

Posted on 12/16/16 | 10:52 AM CET

Filippo

@ronald
I agree: nonsensical. Much better is handing out EU passports on sicilian shore, plus a free train ticket, and a Bayern lonely planet guide, so that we they can decide themselves the quotas. Get ready with welcome flags and teddy bears. We provide sandwiches and drinks not to let them starve during the journey. No ham and only non alcholic beer, of course

Posted on 12/16/16 | 12:24 PM CET

Maverick

The joys of Schengen of EU solidarity 🙂

Posted on 12/16/16 | 12:46 PM CET

European

@ Filippo: What about scrapping German passport to Italians who moved there in the 60s and ship them back with a one-way ticket instead? Getting rid of mafias and making space for newcomers: killing two birds with a stone.

Posted on 12/16/16 | 1:23 PM CET

Filippo

@european
Those who moved between ’39 and ’45 are forgiven, I suppose. Or are you fascist only as a writing style?